http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226049430571
AFL premierships do not come cheap and Collingwood's flag last year came at a record cost of almost $20 million.
The Magpies achieved the ultimate result after spending an extra $2.48m on their football department last year - the biggest single increase across all clubs.
According to confidential AFL figures obtained by The Australian, Collingwood's football department expenditure rose from $17.022m in 2009 to $19.5m last year.
It is certain to become the first club to break the $20m barrier in football department spending, after smaller increases of $700,000 between 2007-08 and just over $600,000 between 2008 and 2009.
While the Pies' spending rose in most areas within the club's football department, their players earned $1.12m more than in 2009 for a 2010 total of $10.7m.
Collingwood players were paid more than their counterparts at all other clubs, as fellow grand finalist St Kilda's inflated total player payments of $11.5m is understood to include anomalies, such as a one-off cash payment to sacked midfielder Andrew Lovett.
Three of the top-four spending clubs - the Magpies, Saints and Geelong - took three of the final four finishing positions.
However, the chief concern is the increasing gap in football expenditure between the competition's rich and poor.
The gap in overall football spending between Collingwood and 16th-ranked North Melbourne was $5.5m last year.
The Kangaroos increased their spend by a moderate $460,000, but still lagged behind the rest of the clubs with all-up expenditure of $14m.
The competition's average cost of operating football departments last year was $16.4m.
But six clubs - Adelaide, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond, the Western Bulldogs and North - all came in under that figure.
The gap in 2009 between the highest spender (West Coast) and the lowest (Western Bulldogs) was $3.98m.
Collingwood was also the league leader in spending on other football department investment in such areas as recruiting, list management and fitness and conditioning, outlaying $8.8m.
The Bulldogs were the least competitive club in this area, which is not capped by the AFL, spending just $4.7m, $4.1m less than the premiership club.West Coast continued to be an anomaly because of its high football department expenditure for little result.
The rich West Australian club last year spent $18.1m, second only to Collingwood, to finish last with just four wins from the campaign.
In the past three years, the Eagles have invested $51.6m in football for a return of 16 wins and finishing positions of 16th, 11th and 15th.
During the same period, the thrifty Bulldogs played in three straight preliminary finals and won a combined 47 matches after spending $40.9m on their football department.
Total club football expenditure last year increased by $16.2m.
Richmond, which finished 15th, was the only club to record a decrease in football spending, down from $14.5m in 2009 to $14.2m last year.
In 2009, the only two clubs that had decreases in football department spending were Sydney and Melbourne. And they finished 12th and 16th.
Four clubs last year - the Tigers (down $750,000), Geelong ($460,000), Sydney ($400,000) and Hawthorn ($200,000) spent less on their players than in the previous season.